Over the past twenty years, we’ve seen remarkable growth in women's leadership.
While women now lead everything from tech giants to international banks, they remain significantly underrepresented in the most powerful corporate positions.
To highlight those changing this narrative, we recently surveyed over 3,000 people to identify the most inspirational women leaders in each state.
Here’s what stood out to us as we dug into the results.
Key Findings:
Healthcare is a powerful lane for women leaders.
A noticeable chunk of the top CEOs helm hospitals, nonprofit health systems, or healthcare innovation companies.
From Madeline Bell at CHOP to Marcy Doderer at Arkansas Children’s and Dr. Janice Nevin at ChristianaCare, these women aren’t just managing hospitals - they’re reimagining how healthcare is delivered in their communities. In an industry historically shaped by male executives, these leaders are bringing new depth to care, policy, and access.
Some of the most influential leaders aren’t household names - yet.
While figures like Mary Barra and Beth Ford are well known, others like Christine Ehrich (Axis for Autism) and Jenny Groberg (BookSmarts) are quietly reshaping the way critical services are delivered, often with a more hands-on, personal approach.
That balance of national recognition and grassroots innovation is part of what makes this list feel fresh and authentic.
States with fewer corporate headquarters often elevate leaders in nonprofits, education, or community business.
You see it especially in places like South Dakota, West Virginia, and Vermont, where traditional Fortune 500 powerhouses are scarce.
In these cases, inspiration is drawn from women running economic development groups, literacy nonprofits, or local manufacturing firms.
It’s a powerful reminder that "impact" isn't always measured in revenue - sometimes it's about transformation at the ground level.
Women are leading in male-dominated industries - but they’re still the exception, not the rule.
Transportation, energy, aerospace, and tech all show up on the list - Kathy Warden at Northrop Grumman, Patricia Poppe at PG&E, and Joanna Geraghty at JetBlue are strong examples.
But their presence highlights the broader issue: progress is real, but the pipeline still has serious gaps.
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and thriving.
Many leaders on this list are founders, not just CEOs - women like Whitney Wolfe Herd (Bumble), Erika Allen (Urban Growers Collective), and Monica Smith (Marketsmith) are building companies from the ground up.
Their stories aren’t just about climbing ladders - they’re about building them where none existed before.
There’s a growing emphasis on values-led leadership.
From sustainable farming (Beth Ford) to ethical manufacturing (Gail Friedberg Rottenstrich at ZAGO) and social equity (Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest), many of these leaders aren't just running businesses - they’re using business as a vehicle for social good.
That thread of values-based decision-making is something that seems especially strong among female executives today.
Final Thoughts
This list isn’t just inspiring - it’s instructive. It shows that leadership is no longer one-size-fits-all.
These women bring a mix of emotional intelligence, operational brilliance, and deep-rooted purpose to the table - and it’s changing not just what companies look like, but how they operate.
We often talk about breaking the glass ceiling, but what these women are doing is more nuanced: they’re redesigning the floor plan.
They're proving that success can look like compassion, collaboration, and community impact, not just stock prices and IPOs.
Methodology
Online panel survey of 3,021 people based on age, gender, and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. We used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting.
Respondents are carefully chosen from a geographically representative online panel of double-opt-in members. This selection is further tailored to meet the precise criteria required for each unique survey. Throughout the survey, we designed questions to carefully screen and authenticate respondents, guaranteeing the alignment of the survey with the ideal participants.
To ensure the integrity of our data collection, we employ an array of data quality methods. Alongside conventional measures like digital fingerprinting, bot checks, geo-verification, and speeding detection, etc. each response undergoes a thorough review by a dedicated team member to ensure quality and contextual accuracy. Our commitment extends to open-ended responses, subjecting them to scrutiny for gibberish answers and plagiarism detection.
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